Wednesday, July 6, 2016

My fellow Americans: I have been in public life for over 40 years . It has been at times exhilarating, often exhausting, rewarding but trying, and sometimes very bumpy . Over the course of time, I have found a few truths to be self evident. First: our politicians and elected officials do not always speak the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. More often than not, they speak in forked tongues and use language intended to mollify, mystify or make murkier the muddy waters in which they muddle.
I confess that I have at times joined the chorus as well to tell people what I thought they wanted to hear, not necessarily the unvarnished truth. Yes, I have been guilty of gilding the lily by not always being blunt and forthright as are some politicians today. I am guilty of having been even diplomatic at times, when diplomacy was called for. Blunt talk does not always solve problems. It can create more problems than it resolves by ratcheting up the level of conflict rather than seeking solutions to those matters on which we disagree. Diplomacy imore times than not , is a strength rather than a weakness.
Hindsight is , as they say, 20/20, and I confess to not always having made the best choices in being forthright about some matters, particularly when those matters were very personal in nature. That is only human. We humans make mistakes. In my caution to protect my and my family's privacy I have gone to extremes which , looking in the rear view mirror I should not have engaged in. I have been pelted by tomatoes through the years, some of them fresh and many more of them rotten. I hope the American people can understand why I made the mistakes I did in trying to protect and secure my private information.
In my explanation justifying my actions, I previously stated that none of the e mails sent by me were marked classified at the time. The FBI director now says that of 30,000 e mails they reviewed, 113 were classified and a "few" we're marked as such. I take him at his word. I can only surmise that either I did not catch it at the time of sending or that the topics were more mundane than the labeling indicated. Nevertheless, out of 30.000 if there were a few that I miscategorized I apologize for the error and take full responsibility for my actions.
I believe the record shows that I never intended to in any way jeapordize sensitive information, and no evidence has been adduced that proves anything to the contrary. I hasten to add that I am not the only high level official to have used a private server for e mail communication, and the level of scrutiny for the actions of others who have done so has been materially less intense. That I no way excuses my lapse.
I realize that anything I say or do is subject to scrutiny because of who I am and the office I am running for. That goes with the territory.

But make no mistake about one thing. I made a mistake, several in fact, and in my response to questions concerning this matter I should have been more forthcoming at the outset. That was a mistake too.
I merely ask the voters to consider the facts in this matter in light of the totality of my career of service, successes and failures, and to judge my actions and fitness for high office accordingly . It is my hope that we can now move on to discussing the important issues facing the American voters in this election year, and let each of you be the judge as to who is more suited to fulfill the responsibilities of the high office I seek. I can offer you my knowledge, insight, experience, temperament and judgment. It is for the voters to judge and compare my qualifications with those of my opponent. In the ensuing months of this campaign, I hope to earn your support and your vote. The future course of our country hangs in the balance.